Full-Time Public Enemy-Chapter 680 - 501: Familiar Tactics (Part 1)

FLAP, FLAP, FLAP...

Swarms of butterfly monsters flapped their wings, their menacing mouthparts aimed at the crowd. Usually, butterflies aren't known for their speed, but these creatures were even faster than hawks!

A butterfly monster rushed forward, opening its tripartite mouthparts to reveal a barbed proboscis akin to a biological projectile mechanism!

Joseph made a motion as if drawing a bow. With a light release of his fingers, WHOOSH!

An ice arrow materialized out of nowhere, striking the butterfly monster. Before it could launch its proboscis, the entire creature was encased in a massive ice sculpture and fell straight down, smashing to pieces upon impact.

These monsters were terrifying for ordinary people, but for Professionals, a single one didn't pose much of a threat—perhaps because these were merely ordinary evolved forms, not the most powerful among them.

Joseph, thinking he had smoothly dispatched a butterfly monster, had barely begun to bask in self-satisfaction when a large swarm of over thirty butterfly monsters charged toward him like a massive dark cloud!

Startled, Joseph stopped his fancy moves and, coaxing forth his power, created a simple, no-frills ice wall that blocked the oncoming swarm. He then rapidly spread the freezing power, causing the wings of the closely clustered butterfly monsters to freeze together. As expected, they fell into chaos, struggling and falling together.

Joseph breathed a sigh of relief. Lately, he had become fascinated with certain mystical cultures, often imagining himself as a "magic and martial arts dual-cultivator" from legendary tales.

A template for a protagonist.

With a decent salary from the Bureau of Mystic Security, Joseph had secretly ordered a suit that combined warrior's armor with a magic robe. When home alone, he would put it on for fun, engaging in a bit of 'role-playing.'

He had also ordered an ornate "Magic Wand" that hadn't been delivered yet. Recently, he had taken to performing his skills with a focus on flashiness, favoring techniques like drawing bows, conjuring walls from thin air, and generating chilling light—all in an effort to cultivate a 'cool poser' image.

However, in the heat of dangerous battle, he quickly realized that being 'plain and simple' was the true path to survival. Fortunately, Great Actor Chen hadn't seen the "Magic Wand" he'd specifically ordered; otherwise, Chen Gu would have been utterly shocked: A wand from the "Barbie Fairytopia" series?

The butterfly monsters filling the sky seemed to possess a primal instinct, as most of them pounced towards the strongest individuals: Modric, Balermo, and Chen Gu.

Chen Gu intended to practice his newly learned "Taboo Nuclear Combat Technique," so he simply donned the "Heavy Nuclear Armor" and wielded the "Father-Son Sword." As he swung the sword, great arcs of crimson light flew out, slicing through groups of the butterfly monsters. Green blood sprayed as they fell.

Chen Gu stood his ground. The crimson sword light, initially with a twenty-meter radius, expanded as he grew more proficient with the "Taboo Nuclear Combat Technique." It gradually reached thirty, forty, fifty, then sixty meters, finally stabilizing at a radius of one hundred meters.

From a distance, Chen Gu was enveloped in streaks of enormous, sword-shaped crimson light, resembling a colossal, razor-sharp flower of light.

The butterfly monsters, fearless of death, charged recklessly one after another. Once they entered this range, they would often abruptly disintegrate, their remains showering down like rain.

Chen Gu gradually gained a concrete understanding of his newly cultivated combat skills. Without using "Four Hundred People's Past," relying solely on his Fifth Energy Level as a "Radiation Missionary" to perform a normal attack with "Nuclear Annihilation Sword," the limit of his sword aura was a one-hundred-meter radius.

If he switched to Ba Wuqi's memories, he could exert Sixth Energy Level combat power, and if he performed "Nuclear Incineration Sword," the range of his sword aura would increase to two hundred meters!

Balermo, standing beside him, didn't use his Class transformation. Relying solely on his heavy Mecha and immense personal strength, he easily tore each butterfly monster to shreds.

Modric's attacks, however, were quite a spectacle. He controlled six double-headed short swords that danced around him—likely all items, though it was unclear if they reached the level of Numbered Items.

The six short swords darted and weaved, executing various 'teleporting strikes' and effortlessly dispatching each butterfly monster in their path.

The wounds on these butterfly monsters were small, yet all were in lethal spots, demonstrating the terrifying precision of a Seventh Energy Level "Quantum Wizard."

「Over ten minutes later」

The last butterfly monster lay dead on the ground, and the group reconvened. Balermo looked towards the hillside. "Shall we head into the mountains?"

Chen Gu, however, gently shook his head. "Once we enter the mountains, we'll encounter that strange, dense fog, just like the previous teams."

"Captain Chen, do you have any ideas?" Modric asked.

Chen Gu smiled. "I don't think we need to rush to explore the abandoned military fortress. Why don't we visit those spores first?"

"But those spores are also in the mountainous area; we'd still have to go into the mountains."

Chen Gu chuckled. "Within a three-thousand-meter radius on the ground, all electronic devices fail. We can fly above three thousand meters and approach from high altitude!"

Balermo's eyes lit up, and he laughed heartily. "How did I not think of that? You've got a sharp mind, lad!"

The group ascended, reaching roughly thirty-two hundred meters to test their equipment, which was still affected. They continued to climb until they reached thirty-five hundred meters, at which point the mysterious interference finally ceased completely.

"Let's go!" Chen Gu shouted. Guided by the military satellites overhead, they flew towards the spores.

Chen Gu, in fact, had gained some new insights into the infection and evolutionary mechanisms of the moss virus.

He had personally experienced the first appearance of the moss virus. However, because the Bureau of Mystic Security had acted swiftly and appropriately, the virus was eradicated in the early stages of its outbreak, leaving no chance for subsequent evolution.

The Confederation's losses were limited to the deaths and injuries of several thousand civilians.

In the Star State, however, their failure to control it led to a major viral outbreak, thus allowing for the possibility of selection and evolution. Through the virus's 'selection' process, 'unqualified' individuals died directly, while 'qualified' ones transformed into these hybrid plant-animal monsters and evolved rapidly.

Is this the 'Purification' method of the Digital Group for the entire Star Sea? Chen Gu pondered. What significance does it have for their ultimate goal?

Then Chen Gu soon realized he was also unable to precisely define the ultimate goal of the Digital Group's so-called 'Purification.'

He shook his head. The Mecha was flying fast, and they could already see the spores on the massive stalk ahead.

"The range of interference has expanded!" Charles suddenly exclaimed. 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

The group immediately continued to ascend, climbing beyond five thousand meters before the interference slowly dissipated. Chen Gu frowned and asked Balermo, "Senior, can your high-powered weapons attack those spores from this range?"

The Mecha contained many electronic devices, but when subject to interference, they could be switched to a primitive 'manual mode.' Therefore, operating the Mecha under interference wasn't an issue.

However, some high-powered weapons, like man-portable missiles, couldn't be used; only simple energy cannons remained operational.

Balermo responded helplessly, "The distance is too great; the energy cannon's attenuation is severe. Even if we hit that thing, it's unlikely to cause significant damage."

"If we use man-portable missiles, once launched, they'd enter the interference zone and become like headless chickens, unable to acquire their targets."

Attacking would require getting closer, but that meant potentially being enveloped in that bizarre, thick fog. Chen Gu thought for a moment. "Senior, please try using the energy cannons first."

"Alright," Balermo immediately agreed. The two large-caliber energy cannons on his back flipped up again, perching on his shoulders.

He quickly aimed, locked on, and then pressed the launch button.

ZIZZ—

Two thick beams from the energy cannons shot out. While five thousand meters was a trivial distance for a warship's energy cannon, it caused severe attenuation for those on individual Mechas.

This was because weapons on individual Mechas were designed for close-quarters combat, not for engaging targets at extreme ranges. Furthermore, Balermo's blast cannons had been specially modified with larger calibers, making their energy cohesion even weaker at long distances.

By the time the beams reached the vicinity of the spores, their power had dwindled to about 60% of its original strength.

The stalk of the spores seemed to sense something. Its tendril-like roots suddenly shot up from the ground, swiftly weaving a large net around the spores.

The energy beams struck this net, shattering it, but their power was completely exhausted, leaving the spores unharmed.

Swearing under his breath, Balermo tried again, but the stalk's tendril-like roots seemed endless, always intercepting the now-weakened energy beams.

Balermo was now completely stumped. He wasn't skilled in tactics to begin with, much preferring to transform into a giant beast and brutally smash everything with his fists.

He looked pleadingly at Modric and Chen Gu. Modric stroked his chin, also somewhat at a loss. He considered a few options, but none seemed particularly reliable.

Boluo, who usually kept a low profile in the team, suddenly noticed Chen Gu looking at him. He shuddered subconsciously. "Captain…"

Chen Gu smiled faintly. "Boluo, do you remember that well-coordinated tactic from when we first met?"

"Ah?" Boluo was stunned, instinctively shrinking back. Dora, at his side, understood and chuckled mischievously.

The rest were puzzled.

Chen Gu continued, "Back then, we barely knew each other, yet we coordinated seamlessly. It was truly fate."

"I just wonder if you and Senior Modric share such a fateful connection."

"No!" Boluo immediately denied. "Definitely not!"

"Don't be nervous," Chen Gu said, waving his hand. "I didn't say we *have* to use that tactic. I have other methods. If those don't work… well, then we'll have to test that fateful connection between you and Senior Modric."

"There must be other ways," Boluo said, his face crestfallen, while Balermo and Modric looked on, completely baffled.

Chen Gu gestured to the two Seventh Energy Level individuals. "Senior Balermo, please give all your high-powered man-portable missiles to Senior Modric."

"Senior Modric, you're Seventh Energy Level. Quantum Teleportation over five thousand meters shouldn't be an issue for you, right?"

Modric nodded, beginning to understand. "Are you suggesting I use Quantum Teleportation to send these missiles directly onto the spores and detonate them?"

Chen Gu nodded. "Senior Balermo, please provide cover with your blast cannons to exhaust those roots. Senior Modric, you will use Quantum Teleportation to send the missiles past the protective net of roots, detonating them directly on the spores."

Balermo's eyes lit up. "That's a good plan!"

Chen Gu then looked at Boluo. "If this plan doesn't work, we'll have to ask Senior Modric to teleport our "Alchemist" over there."

Boluo trembled, praying fervently. It has to succeed!